Security

In Germany, the entrance to the Reichstag (parliament/legislature) building is right there on a street, where taxis and bicycles ride by (but no private cars), and regular people can walk right up and say hello to the top leaders walking out to their black chauffured cars.

Reichtag eastern entrance

Reichstag eastern entrance, with a line visible where the Berlin Wall once stood. The Marie Elizabeth Lüders Haus is in the background.

The British are a bit more paranoid. Their embassy is on a public street, but it is closed to all vehicular traffic, with police and barricades at either end of the block.

British Embassy in Berlin